WILLMAR - Adam Nibaur went 3-for-3 at the plate and got the victory on the hill as Willmar beat St. Cloud Apollo 5-4 in the first game of a Central Lakes Conference twin bill at Baker Field on an overcast, chilly Thursday.
The Eagles rebounded in Game 2. It was 8-0 after two innings and eight was enough to earn the split 8-3.
Nibaur knocked in Tony McCleary and Josh Tinklenberg in the bottom of the fifth to put Willlmar up 5-0 in the opener. When the Eagles rocked Nibaur in the sixth for five hits and four runs, those RBIs became the difference.
Tyler Stegeman who got the last out of the sixth and pitched the seventh to save Nibaur’s win.
The Eagles jumped on Cole Christensen in the nightcap, going up 8-0. Brandon Wedel relieved and pitched four smart innings of one-hit baseball.
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Cole Hagen’s two doubles were the hitting highlight for Willmar, which hosts Brainerd today.
GAME ONE
Willmar 5, SC Apollo 4
St. Cloud Apollo 000 004 0-4 10 1
Willmar 201 020 x- 5 9 1
HITTING – St. Cloud Apollo: Cooper Lynch 1-for-4, 2b; Ethan Carlson 2-for-3, Marcus Brunn 2-for-4, 2b; Hunter Blommer 2-for-4 … Willmar: Smith 1-for-4, McCleary 0-for-4, 2 runs; Tinklenberg 1-for-1, 2 runs, 2 bb’s; Nibaur 3-for-3, 2 rbi; Hagen 1-for-3, Christensen 1-for-3, 2b; Vreeman 1-for-3, Swanson 1-for-3
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) - St. Cloud Apollo: Haugen (L) … Willmar: Adam Nibaur (W) 5.2-9-4-3-1-4, Tyler Stegeman 1.1-1-0-0-1-1
GAME TWO
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SC Apollo 8, Willmar 3
Willmar 000 120 0 -3 7 2
Apollo 440 000 0 -8 6 1
HITTING – Willmar: Tony McCleary 2-for-4, Tyler Stegeman 2-for-4, Cole Hagen 2-for-4, 2 2b’s, 2 rbi; Josh Tinklenberg 1-for-3 … St. Cloud Apollo: Ben Alword 2-for-3, rbi; Marcus Brunn 1-for-3, 2b, 2 rbi; Tanner Bradenbock 1-for-2, 2 rbi; Hunter Blommer 1-for-2, 2 runs
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) - Willmar: Cole Christensen (L) 2-5-8-5-2-1, Brandon Wedel 4-1-0-0-2-0 … St. Cloud Apollo: Mike Ashwell (W) 7-7-3-3-1-7
